Roster management is the single most crucial in-season task for fantasy football managers. Knowing which players to let go is as important as adding the right guys. Which players find themselves on our Week 12 fantasy football cut list?
Quarterbacks: Sam Darnold, QB, Seattle Seahawks
Rostered: 59%
Will the real Sam Darnold please stand up? Who is the real Darnold? Before last season, everyone would’ve answered the guy we saw against the Los Angeles Rams.
Darnold was an unmitigated disaster, throwing for 279 scoreless yards and four interceptions. He’s now failed to reach double digit fantasy points in back-to-back games, bringing his total to four such contests on the season.
Fantasy managers can still start Darnold in favorable matchups. He has two four-touchdown games this season and is throwing to arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL. But Darnold is not on the level of someone who needs to be universally rostered.
Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals
Rostered: 44%
After three strong performances, Jacoby Brissett reminded everyone why he’s not a starting quarterback these past two weeks. Even so, it seems likely we don’t see Kyler Murray play another snap for the Arizona Cardinals ever again.
Murray was placed on IR ahead of Week 10. He will be sidelined until at least Week 14. At that point, the Cardinals will almost certainly be eliminated from playoff contention.
Even when he was starting, Murray wasn’t perfect for fantasy. He doesn’t have a single game with 20+ fantasy points. The once elite QB1 is in desperate need of a career reset.
According to reports, Murray and the Cardinals are expected to discuss his future with the team. It seems likely they are headed for a split. There is no incentive for either party to have Murray play in a couple of meaningless games at the end of this season.
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Rostered: 45%
Aaron Rodgers is only this heavily rostered because of the matchup. He was last week’s top streamer with a rematch against the Cincinnati Bengals on tap. Not only did Rodgers completely flop, failing to reach 10 fantasy points, but he also suffered a wrist injury.
Rodgers may miss time. He may not. It doesn’t matter for the purposes of whether fantasy managers should continue rostering him. They should not.
Running Backs: JK Dobbins, RB, Denver Broncos
Rostered: 65%
It had been such a great season for JK Dobbins serving as the Denver Broncos’ lead back. Now, it’s over.
Dobbins sustained a significant foot injury two weeks ago on an uncalled illegal hip drop tackle. The Broncos placed Dobbins on IR ahead of Week 11 and ruled him out for the remainder of the season.
There is some hope he might be able to play if Denver makes the Super Bowl, but that fact does not matter for fantasy purposes. Dobbins can be safely dropped.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Washington Commanders
Rostered: 76%
Amazingly, a seventh-round rookie who couldn’t earn a combine invite is not actually that good at football. Who could’ve seen that coming?
Jacory Croskey-Merritt had his chance to take hold of the Washington Commanders’ backfield. Instead, he followed up his stellar 27-point outing in Week 5 by failing to reach that number in every game since combined.
Chris Rodriguez is the new starter and lead back. JCM still mixes in, but he’s merely there to ease the burden on Rodriguez. He has no fantasy value anymore.
Nick Chubb, RB, Houston Texans
Rostered: 53%
Game script continues to play a huge factor in who sees the field in the Houston Texans’ backfield. Even though the Texans were victorious over the Jacksonville Jaguars two weeks ago, they fell behind early and were chasing on the scoreboard the entire game. That led to Woody Marks dominating with 60 snaps to Nick Chubb’s 10.
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Impressively, Chubb still managed 47 yards on just five carries. But the lack of playing time is concerning. And the fact remains that the rookie is a vastly superior player at this point in each of their respective careers.
Last week, the Texans struggled against the Tennessee Titans, but were never behind by more than one score. Even so, Chubb played just 25% of the snaps.
Chubb scored in Week 2 and Week 5. Outside of those two games, he’s failed to reach double-digit fantasy points in any contest. He hasn’t done nearly enough to justify a continued spot on fantasy rosters outside of deep leagues.
Wide Receivers: Matthew Golden, WR, Green Bay Packers
Rostered: 48%
Not every Round 1 wide receiver can pan out. In every draft class, there will be busts. Sometimes, they are surprising. Other times, they are Matthew Golden.
In one of the most predictable flops in recent memory, Golden just isn’t an NFL-caliber wide receiver. This isn’t revisionist history. I wrote about it in August.
Everything about Golden’s prospect profile screamed bust. Sure enough, here we are more than halfway through the season, and Golden has shown absolutely nothing.
The rookie’s slow start is to be expected. There was a brief period where we thought maybe he might be starting to put it together. It turns out that was just the two worst defenses in the league making him look moderately competent.
Over his past four games, Golden has had a total of 13 targets, 10 receptions, and 74 yards. Christian Watson’s return provided more competition from a superior talent.
Golden has been on this list for several weeks now, but he is still on far too many rosters. Let’s correct that this time around.
Brandon Aiyuk, WR, San Francisco 49ers
Rostered: 36%
Early in the season, we thought each passing week got us closer to Brandon Aiyuk’s return. Now, each passing week makes it less and less likely that the San Francisco 49ers WR will contribute anything this season.
We are now in Week 12, and there is no indication that Aiyuk’s 21-day practice window will be opened. With the team on bye in Week 14, it’s hard to imagine Aiyuk playing before Week 15. It’s equally challenging to envision fantasy managers willing to put Aiyuk in fantasy lineups the first week of the playoffs.
Are you suddenly going to feel good about starting him in the semifinal? The final? The more you begin to think about the scenario in which Aiyuk finds his way into your lineup at some point this season, the more you realize there isn’t one. If you need the IR spot, do not hesitate to drop Aiyuk.
Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets
Rostered: 87%
You do not absolutely have to drop Garrett Wilson. He’s currently on IR and is expected to miss another three weeks. Wilson will likely be healthy enough to return this season. But will the New York Jets have any incentive to bring him back?
The Jets are playing out a lost season. By the time Wilson can return, it will be Week 15. Head coach Aaron Glenn said he thinks Wilson will play again this year, but then qualified that statement by saying it will be up to the doctors. Those doctors may very well conclude that it’s not worth it for Wilson to attempt a return for games that don’t matter.
If you need the roster spot, it’s okay to let him go.
Rashid Shaheed, WR, Seattle Seahawks
Rostered: 76%
Rashid Shaheed’s trade to Seattle has not been great for his fantasy value. He saw nine targets in his final game with the New Orleans Saints. He had seen a total of 30 targets across his last three games with the Saints. Since joining the Seahawks, Shaheed has posted lines of 1-3 and 2-27. He has as many carries as receptions.
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Shaheed did come close to catching a deep touchdown against the Rams, but otherwise, he’s just not part of the offense.
There will be games where Shaheed hauls in a long score. That’s where his value lies. But when that doesn’t happen, he will struggle even to reach 5.0 fantasy points. Shaheed is no longer a must-roster player.
Calvin Ridley, WR, Tennessee Titans
Rostered: 57%
Calvin Ridley had just returned from a three-game absence due to a hamstring strain before he sustained another, far more serious injury. After catching his lone target for 13 yards against the Texans, Ridley broke his fibula. He is done for the season and can be safely dropped.
Keon Coleman, WR, Buffalo Bills
Rostered: 49%
It is pretty incredible how Keon Coleman continues to be on so many rosters. The 25.2 fantasy points he scored in Week 1 were a very, very long time ago. Since then, Coleman caught more than three passes in a game just once.
The situation with Coleman hit rock bottom last week when he was deactivated for missing a meeting on Friday morning.
There have been two, maybe three weeks all season in which fantasy managers would have been glad to have Coleman in lineups. Regardless of whether Coleman plays next week, he doesn’t need to be rostered.
Tight Ends: Kyle Pitts, TE, Atlanta Falcons
Rostered: 81%
Upon further review, same old Kyle Pitts. The former first-round pick has not improved. He just had a couple of games where he saw some volume.
We are now through 11 weeks, and Pitts has a total of four games with double-digit fantasy points, something he hasn’t accomplished since Week 8.
Against the Carolina Panthers, Pitts commanded just three targets, catching two for 14 yards. The one he didn’t catch was a very bad drop.
Drake London is likely to miss time with his knee injury, but that doesn’t even move the needle. With Kirk Cousins set to start in place of an injured Michael Penix Jr. and the Atlanta Falcons playing out a lost season, there’s little incentive to roster anyone on this team outside of London and Bijan Robinson.
T.J. Hockenson, TE, Minnesota Vikings
Rostered: 76%
It’s astounding how dismal T.J. Hockenson’s production has been. To be fair, everything about the Minnesota Vikings offense is down this season compared to last year. It may not entirely be Hockenson’s fault.
Regardless of the reason, the numbers do not paint a pretty picture. Hockenson has not caught more than three passes in a game since Week 7. He’s hit double-digit fantasy points just twice all season.
A distant third option in the passing game behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, JJ McCarthy simply isn’t good enough to feed all three. You may not have a better option, but if you do, don’t feel compelled to hold Hockenson.
Evan Engram, TE, Denver Broncos
Rostered: 48%
It’s impressive how Evan Engram manages to do just enough to convince unwitting fantasy managers he might be worth something. Outside of his flukey touchdown reception in Week 5, Engram hasn’t hit double-digit fantasy points this season.
Engram has 17 total targets across his last three games. He’s posted lines of 4-36, 0-0, 2-12, and 4-33. There is no fantasy upside here whatsoever.
